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Famous Cars: Patton’s Willys JeepCars Seen in The Sandlot
We’re reminiscing about this classic baseball movie and noting the 1960’s cars that show up throughout it. Here are the cars seen in the Sandlot.
A Classic Movie Full of Classic Cars
The Sandlot is a coming-of-age classic that tells the story of a new kid who’s trying to make friends with the baseball loving locals. He’s invited to play a game with them and eventually offers up his stepdad’s ball to play with – a priceless Babe Ruth signed baseball. One of the kids manages to hit the autographed ball over the wall for a home run and into the yard of “the Beast”. This was Mr. Mertle’s baseball eating dog who was rumored to be so dangerous that the court ordered him to keep the Beast chained up on his property. Once the group is made aware of whose autograph was on that ball, they work together to scheme ways to get back the ball and save the new kid’s life.
While the focus of The Sandlot is childhood baseball and high jinks, the time it portrays brings in some interesting classic cars throughout the background of this film. It’s supposed to take place in the early summer of 1962 in Los Angeles, California. This is the perfect intersection of ‘50s style and just barely predates the pony car that would show up just two years later. Car designers were developing new and interesting concepts, tailfins were still in vogue, and chrome heavily accented the exterior. See if you remember these timeless classics that appeared throughout the film The Sandlot.
1959 Chevrolet Bel Air
In a couple of scenes, we get a glimpse of the car that Smalls’ stepdad, Bill, owns. It’s a light blue 1959 Chevrolet Bel Air that can be seen parked in the driveway of Small’s house and is driven by Bill for a short scene. The Bel Air was a common model out in the suburbs where this story takes place, with the only thing more fitting being a classic station wagon like the Chevy Brookwood or Ford Ranch Wagon.
1958 Edsel Ranger
Just before the whole “Great Bambino” speech in front of the drug store, we get a glimpse at an uncommon grille design with the name “EDSEL” vertically oriented down the middle. This is a white and blue 1958 Edsel Ranger as signified by that name, front end design, and the “Ranger” fender badge that we see briefly as the camera pans to the boys. Edsel was a failed spinoff of Ford that was named after Henry Ford’s son. It was a brief blip in automotive history, but the unique looking model is perfect for the time period that The Sandlot took place.
1960 DeSoto Fireflite
Also, during the scene in front of the drug store, there is a nice red classic parked behind the baseball crew. This is a 1960 DeSoto vehicle. The model looks almost identical to the Adventurer but it’s instead the mid-pack Fireflite model as evidence by the missing chrome over the wheel arches. Another obscure classic of the late 50s that fits perfectly in the car culture of this time, but I don’t think its owner would be confidently parking right next to a bunch of kids with bats and baseballs even back then.
1947 GMC 3100
When we get a peek over the fence and into the Beast’s domain, a couple of classic cars can be seen scattered about. Well, pieces of cars at least. There’s a grille to an old Jeep CJ-5, random wheels and tires cast about, and then there’s at least the front half of a 1947 GMC 3100. We can only see the front fenders and grille of this Advance Design pickup truck, but it’s more together than the Jeep from the same scenes.
1960 Chrysler Saratoga
When Benny gets the Babe Ruth ball from the other side of the fence, he’s chased by the Beast out of the ballpark and through the town. Benny runs down a sidewalk and into a bicyclist (who is thrown by the Beast) and an oncoming vehicle. He’s thrown onto the hood of a slow moving 1960 Chrysler Saratoga and then clamors over the roof to continue running away. We then get a point of view from within the vehicle of the giant dog bounding over the top followed by a quick shot of the old lady behind the wheel of this ‘60s classic.
1957 Chevrolet 210
During that same chase scene, one of the alleyways Benny sprints down features a 1957 Chevrolet 210 parked next to some trash he uses to create an obstacle. The grey classic shows a little bit of rust for only being about five years old according to when this movie takes place, but at least it wasn’t further damaged like the Saratoga was.
